Captain Samuel Brown

Born and raised in central Arkansas, Ret. Capt. Sam Brown was commissioned in the Army in March 2006 after graduating from West Point. Sam was serving with Fort Hood’s 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when he was struck by an improved explosive device (IED) in September 2008.

Sam suffered third degree burns to 30 percent of his body – mostly places his individual body armor did not cover – and lost his left index finger in the accident. He was evacuated and, once in the United States, taken to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas; BAMC is a level I trauma center and home to the Army Burn Center.

The doctors at the hospital began treating Sam from the moment he arrived. He began a series of surgeries to repair his charred flesh using skin grafts from other areas of his body. Although 30 percent of his body was actually burned, about 50 percent of Sam’s body has been affected because surgeons used skin from areas that were not burned. Sam spent the majority of three years undergoing numerous skin graft operations and countless hours of therapy.

Sam spent five years in the Army and has been awarded the following: Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Accommodation Medal with “Valor” Device, Global War on Terrorism Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon, Air Assault Badge, Airborne Badge, and Ranger Tab.

“Sons of the Flag is an organization that truly honors the warriors who have sacrificed their own flesh and lives in defense of the United States. I am humbled to know that we have patriots leading this noble cause.”>